The document discusses the history and architecture of the Illinois Athletic Club in Chicago, which was founded in 1904. It provides details about the club's original clubhouse built in 1908 at 112 S. Michigan Avenue, which featured a French Renaissance style facade and interior spaces like a gymnasium and swimming pool. After 12 years, a balcony and private dining boxes were added to the dining room. The club prioritized sports and many world records were held by its swimmers. In the late 1980s, the building was sold and converted to a student dorm for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

1. Charles Beyl
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Report cover for
U.S.Chamber of Commerce.

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T
he Illinois Athletic Club
(IAC) was founded on
November 11, 1904,
becoming the second of Chicago’s
most prestigious men’s clubs. The
group was formed under the leadership
ofWilliam HaleThompson, then captain
of the Chicago Athletic Association
football team and chairman of the
club’s athletic committee. He and
several hundred members of the
Chicago Athletic Association (CAA)
had become dissatisfied with the
growing loss of interest in athletics at
CAA and proposed the creation of a
rival club to rekindle the competitive
flame.
In 1908 a clubhouse was constructed at
112 S. Michigan Avenue in “modern French
style”. The facade of the twelve-story building
was of Bedford stone and the lower stories
were embellished with rusticated stylobate
courses, ornamental balconies, bronze statuary
and grilles.The eleventh story was banded with
a frieze recalling the story of the Olympian
games in relief. Drawings published in the Inland
Architect and News Records,April 1908, reveal its
interior plan included a rotunda, kitchen, dining
room, grille room, gymnasium, library, pompean
swim tank, billiard room, and bowling alley.The
Inland Architect also reported that:
The problems thought most important
in working out this building were the
perfect lighting of all compartments; the
construction of the principal rooms free
of columns and obstructions; the perfect
lighting and ventilating of the gymnasium;
the economical operation of the service
compartment, and the safeguarding of
the people attending the entertainment
swimming events and boxing entertain-
ments given by the club.
Thediningroomislightedbylargewindows
at the front and rear,and is twenty-five feet
in height. The room is well lighted at all
times during the day by natural light.
The architects of record were Barnett, Haynes
and Barnett of St. Louis. Organized in 1893,
this firm consisted of George D. Barnett, John
I. Haynes, and Tom P. Barnett.Their practice
thrived for twenty-five years and their work
included prominent buildings throughout the
United States.
After twelve years of continuous use, club
members voted to make improvements in
the building. A primary area of concern was
the second floor dining room.The need for
private dining facilities resulted in the addition
of a mezzanine gallery or balcony with twelve
individual boxes. Each box was ornamented with
a club seal representing various athletic clubs
throughout the country in recognition of their
fostering athletics and clean sports within the
I L L I N O I S A T H L E T I C C L U B
club life. A separate entrance and elevator for
women to discreetly dine upstairs when not
escorted by men was also constructed.The
interior arrangement and appointments of the
building have been frequently changed in the
spirit of improvements for members comfort
and appearance. Over the years, the living
quarters, card room, and barbershop were
remodeled many times and the athletic rooms
kept up to date such as the addition of hand
ball courts.
Sports remained a high priority for members
at IAC throughout the club’s history. At one
time 29 of 31 free style world marks were held
by IAC swimmers and in 1932, 32 members of
the IAC participated in the Olympic Games.
Notable sport figures who patronized IAC
include JohnnyWeissmuller, Michael McDermott,
Norman Ross, and William Bachrach.
In 1988 the Illinois Athletic Club sold the
building at 112 S. Michigan Avenue and it
became the Charlie Club Health Club. Four
years later the School of the Art Institute of
Chicago purchased it and converted it into
a student dormitory with artist studios.The
ballroom/dining room was restored to it’s 1916
appearance at that time.
Far left: c.1912 exterior view of
the Illinois Athletic Club, postcard
(Curt Teich)
Above: Interior view of the Illinois
Athletic Club ballroom/dining
room, postcard (Curt Teich)
Left: Current view of ballroom/
dining room, restored in 1995 to
its 1916 appearance. (K. Staveteig)
Paris 1924, Games of the VIII Olympiad. IAC
member Johnny Weissmuller, later of Tarzan
fame, represented the United States and was
a freestyle swimming triple gold medalist in
the 100m, 400m and 4x200m relay events. (IOC
Olympic Museum Collections.)
Architect’s drawings showing proposed balcony in dining room, 1908, reproduced in Tri-Color magazine,
IAC newsletter.
Swimming tank floor with Turkish
bath
3rd
floor, billiard room
4th
floor, bowling alley, card rooms
10th
floor, gymnasium
Asportingworld...
Let’s put the
club back into
athletics...
Plans, Illinois Athletic Club, Chicago
1908, reproduced in The Inland
Architect and Record, April 1908.
I
n the late 19th
and early 20th
century,
urban Americans looked to identify
with new, voluntary associations,
in an effort to recapture a sense
of community and counter the
impersonality of the burgeoning cities.
These voluntary organizations could be very
temporary, designed to accomplish only a
specific purpose or designed as permanent
entities. Members could be selected
according to any criteria the organizing
group chose such as common interests, sex,
ethnicity, occupation, or religious status.
Since sports was not threatening to deeply
held personal beliefs and yet provided a
milieu for fellowship and common purpose,
the sport club was an attractive alternative
to other forms of voluntary associations.
Athletic activity, which is necessarily
subordinate to rules, encouraged a temporary
equality between members.The equality
of play strengthened the bond between
members.The sports club could also be easily
transformed into a multi-faceted social agency.
Almost incidentally, the sport club of the
nineteenth century provided a tremendous
impetus to the growth of American sport.
Numerous downtown athletic clubs were
formed in Chicago after the Civil War,
reaching a height of popularity during the
Roaring Twenties. Some with membership
reaching two to three thousand people,
the larger of these early athletic clubs were
responsible for the construction of impressive
buildings to house their athletic and social
functions. Some of the clubs were organized
and built facilities to serve a particular
sporting activity as with golfing at the South
Shore Country Club and yachting at the
ChicagoYacht Club. Certainly not all clubs
were for the affluent society of Chicago,
although they were one of the catalysts for
generating interest in organized sports in
Chicago.Throughout the city, there were
parks and other public facilities that served
the growing athletic interests of community
clubs and social organizations representing
the general populace.
Among the most prestigious of the athletic
clubs formed in the late nineteenth century
was the Chicago Athletic Association (also
know today as the Chicago Athletic Club).
Its early sports rivalry with the NewYork
Athletic Club are legendary among sports
historians.
A private gentlemen’s
club with meeting and
banquets rooms, athletic
facilities and sleeping
quarters. . . a common
facility plan in early
athletic clubs
T
he Chicago Athletic Association (CAA)
was founded in 1890 by prominent
citizens of Chicago including Marshall
Field,A. G. Spalding, Cyrus McCormick and
Henry Ives Cobb. It’s mission was “to encourage
all sports, to promote physical culture, and to
cultivate social intercourse and friendly relations
among members of the Association.” The
first executive meeting, held in the architect’s
office with Henry Ives Cobb serving
as chairman, initiated the search for
a building site and a discussion about
clubhouse design.
Choosing a site at 12 S. Michigan, their
building soon was constructed in a
southern Romanesque style, inspired by
Asporting world...
buildinglegacyof
Chicago’sAthleticClubs
the Grand Canal inVenice. Cobb’s
knowledge of the construction of
the new University of Chicago
Bartlett Gymnasium aided in
the planning of the CAA’s
athletic facilities. Interior
lounges and dining rooms
were the responsibility of
Messrs. George Healy and
Louis Millet who helped
create the internationally
acclaimed Chicago Auditorium
Association, the world’s largest
theatre, hotel and office building at
the time. At the CAA, they imported
Tabasco mahogany from Mexico
for use in the lounging and billiard
rooms, and tesserae pavement from
Shropshire, England for the lobby.
Healy crafted exquisite wood carvings
and Millet fashioned colorful stained
glass panels to further embellish
the club rooms.The Chicago based
Brunswick Company supplied billiard
tables and they built the bar, café and
lounge rooms “to architect’s design”.
The inauguration planned for the club’s opening
in 1892 had to be deferred as a
result of a disastrous fire. Recovery
was slow, with the building opening
department by department, as work
was finished.With the high degree
of materials and treatments used
in the finish of the building, costs
consumed all revenue.Vigorous
programs for athletics, bicycle tours
and social events however, quickly
encouraged an enlarged membership
and enabled contractors and vendors to be paid.
CAA’s athletic history dates back to 1895 when
their “Pigskin Squad” defeated Harvard,Yale
and a dozen universities and clubs to take the
national championship in football. Opportunities
abound for members to participate in active
sports such as track and field, swimming, diving,
waterpolo, football, baseball, fencing, tennis, and
rowing. Members interested in less physical
activities such as billiards, cards, and bowling,
were also accommodated.
In 1905 the CAA decided to add an annex,
designed by the Chicago architect Richard E.
Schmidt Jr. It included a grand banquet hall,
many private dining rooms, and additional
bedroom suites for members and distinguished
guests.Wives and sisters of CAA members
now enjoyed their own lounge adjoining the
ladies entrance and a large dining room. In 1926
Schmidt designed a ten story addition to the
annex to provide even more guest bedrooms
and clubroom suites.
By 1974, women were admitted as members
in the association.Today the CAA remains a
private membership club, offering a wide variety
of facilities including cardio and strength training
equipment, a full boxing ring, squash and handball
courts, basketball court, golf practice range,
lap pool and other amenities such as massage
therapy, whirlpool and steam room.The building
includes three restaurants, 20 private meeting
rooms suitable for groups up to 400, and 52
smartly appointed lodging rooms.
c.1910 exterior of the Chicago Athletic Club,
postcard (Curt Teich)
The gymnasium, c.1900
(Photo courtesy of CAA)
Matchbook
features a front view
of the 1893 building and the
Club’s logo—the history of the Club’s
logo, often confused with the Cub’s logo,
dates back to 1915 when CAA member
William Wrigley and other members
bought the Chicago team, thus adopting
the CAA logo.
The plunge room, bath, c.1900
(Photo courtesy of CAA)
CHICAGO ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
c. 1890 first floor plan by Henry Ives Cobb, showing the plunge pool,
dressing rooms, first and second hot rooms, and steam vapor room.
(Drawing courtesy of Ryerson and Burnham Archives, The Art
Institute of Chicago)
Design of Department of Interior, Historic
Preservation Services, conference display panels.

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were only just a small part of an
incredibly vast 2200 year old
funerary complex that still has
yet to be fully excavated. I also
took a cruise down the Yangtze
River and gazed at the incredible
gorges and even spotted a few
Rhesus monkees along the way.
My final stop was in Hong Kong,
where towering skyscrapers
actually give “performances” every
night as they are viewed across
the bay. Lights on the buildings
actually flash & change in perfect
choreography to music that is played
over loudspeakers in the public
square! The culture and experience
was unlike any we have seen before
2 3
My trip to China was incredible!
The Great Wall was, of course,
the highlight of the trip. Walking
along that incredible structure was
almost beyond description as I was
in awe of the way it wound snakelike
through the mountains. I was also
amazed by the vast Forbidden Palace
in Beijing as I wandered around
lavish areas once reserved exclusively
for the Emperor and his close circle.
Words could not do justice to the
sight of the 5000 or so terracotta
warriors at Xian that were used to
symbolically guard the emperor
Qin Shi Huangdi. Each one was
different and all were set in military
formation. Incredibly, these warriors
FacultyTrips
Here is a painting inspired by my
recent trip to Italy. I took over
1000 pictures to create panoramas of
the more than 50 locations I visited.
To me, these sites are steeped in
the ghosts of history. In my work, I
integrated many historical art images
to give these places psychological
interpretations based on the theme
“the sacred and the profane.” One
aspect of my classroom teaching deals
with painting realistically, and the
work inspired by this trip provides
good reference for my students.
-Tom Scullin
Italy & Sicily Inspire Tom Scullin
Exploring China
and most certainly I will never forget the
two weeks spent there.
-Hillary Nelson
When it was announced
that instructors at
PCA&D would be granted
a stipend to take a trip to a
place they had never been
before, I knew immediately
where I would go. I had
never been to Europe and
had always wanted to see the
major cities, artwork, and
architecture that I studied in
art history.
The trip was a fantastic experience. I
took over 400 photos while touring
Rome, Venice, the Italian Alps, Lake
Lucerne, Switzerland, Paris, and
London. I was able to see the major
cultural highlights of each place and it
was a wonderful introduction to the
roots of Western art and architecture.
At times, it felt as
though I was walking
through the pages of
Gardner’s Art Through
the Ages, doing double
takes as I realized that
I had just walked past
a Titian in Paris, or a
Tintoretto in Venice.
It was a lifelong goal
to be able to walk into
the Sistine Chapel and
view Michelangelo’s fresco. I was
overwhelmed by the complexity, the
beauty, and the scale of his work.
I came home recharged and energized
and couldn’t wait to share the
experience.
-Charlie Beyl
Across the Continent in Eleven Days
Photography Department Chair Chris Welch and her husband on the road in Nova Scotia.
The Places We Went
Mark Achtermann/NE, Canada, NM
Charlie Beyl/Europe
Linda Forte/Italy
Eric Fowler/British Isles
Jeff Geib/Iceland
Robert Hochgertel/Alaska, Vancouver,
Seattle
Pawel Kozielski/Poland, Germany
Kristy Krivitsky/England, Scotland,
Ireland
Bill Mammarella/New England
Suzan Matos/Italy
David Moss/Iceland
Hillary Nelson/China
Matt Novak/California
Thomas Scullin/London, Paris, Rome
Christine Welch/NE, Nova Scotia
Ayear’s gone by since PCA&D’s
Board announced the “Trustee
Continuing Professional Education
Program” and many faculty members
have already benefited by traveling to
interesting and exotic destinations. The
program provides eligible faculty the
opportunity to travel and rejuvenate
their artistic talents. Trips were granted
on three main conditions: travel needed
to occur during the summers of 2005 or
2006, it couldn’t be for graduate study,
and the destination needed to be further
than one’s hometown. Take a look at
where they’ve gone so far.
Design of Collage Magazine interior spread.

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717.808.0955
Design of cd jewel case for blues band, Blue
Light Special.

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717.808.0955
Concept cover design of cd jewel case for
rock band, Blackdog.

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717.808.0955
Symbols to represent the Market
coffee cup
cellery stalks
pretzel
cheese
muffin
flower
Close up of weather vane top.
Rooster, arrow, and date would be oriented towards
Market entrance. Market icons would revolve around
black orb as the wind blows.
The weathervane could be
mounted on a pole which is
bolted to a metal base. The base
would have plaques that
announce the market name and
the donors names.
lfdkjhnepi Mdhiuwh
Cakjh Harhehclj
Rwhareoiu Uahdeh
lfdkjhnepi Mdhiuwh
Cakjh Harhehclj
Rwhareoiu
Uahdehlfdkjhnepi
Mdhiuwh
Cakjh Harhehclj
Rwhareoiu Uahdeh
lfdkjhnepi Mdhiuwh
Cakjh Harhehclj
Rwhareoiu Uahdeh
lfdkjhnepi Mdhiuwh
Cakjh Harhehclj
Rwhareoiu
Uahdehlfdkjhnepi
Mdhiuwh
Cakjh Harhehclj
Rwhareoiu Uahdeh
Ideas for wayfinding signage for Lancaster
Central Market, Lancaster, PA.

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717.808.0955
Booklet cover illustration for
Pennsylvania Department of
Natural Resources.

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717.808.0955
Design and illustration for Johns Hopkins
Children’s Center donor recognition poster.

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717.808.0955
Book store infographic illustration.

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717.808.0955
Team Financial brochure illustration.

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717.808.0955
National Fire Protection Association Fire Prevention Week poster illustration, Sparky
Coloring Book cover illustration, spot illustration for fire safety brochure, Sparky coloring
book two page spread illustration.

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717.808.0955
Little
Lunch
Truck
Little Lunch Truck title page illustration.

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717.808.0955
The Sweet Potatoes.
Character designs.

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717.808.0955
Logo design and illustration for
scrap book store.

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717.808.0955
charlie@charlesbeyl.com
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